Although some of these tasting notes may be found elsewhere on this site, this page brings together most of my older Sauvignon Blanc tasting notes, listed alphabetically by Producer. Click here for rating systems and abbreviations.

Borthwick Wairarapa Sauvignon Blanc 2001 There's a touch of apocrine on the nose and nice flavours of gooseberry and apple in the palate. A touch of oak adds complexity.

Charles Wiffen Sauvignon Blanc 2001 This is really nice, offering a great mouthful with plenty of pungency and flavours of limes, capsicum, herbs and passionfruit emerging on the fruity finish. Good aciidty and zest. Quite rich, tending towards the luscious factor. Musky apocrine lingers. $15.95. 18/20. Tasted 5Sep2001.
Lime and capsicum on the nose with tropical fruit abounding in the palate. Zesty lime and a touch of talc, then musk emerging on the finish. Bracing lime flavours linger. $17. 5Dec2001.

Clifford Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2001 (c) Lovely pungent aromas leap out of the glass, hinting of tropical at first then gooseberry and a smoky, grassy characters. Fleshy in the palate with smoky, grassy fruits and sweet passionfruit emerging on the finish. 17Sep2001.

Cloudy Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2001 A sentimental favourite, the 2001 vintage release continues the excellence from this famous winery. Pale straw with a green tinge, it has a smoky (fumé) aroma and a rich full-bodied palate with classic Marlborough flavours of gooseberry, grass and lemon with underlying passionfruit and hints of musk that linger on the smoky finish. The wine has seen no oak. The smokiness comes from the pungency of the grape itself. NZ$25. 24Sep2001.
Perhaps this wine has the influence of a woman's touch as new Cloudy Bay winemaker, Eveline Fraser, joined the team for the 2001 vintage.

Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Rich and leesy with savoury oak, tobacco and armpit on the smoky nose, it's rich and concentrated in the palate with a spicy backbone and the richness of hokey pokey. 13Oct2003. TBR Feb 2004.

Craggy Range Old Renwick Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2001 A rich full-bodied SB with a mouthfilling herbaceous/oily richness. Citrus, stone fruit, and a sweaty fruit character on the full rich herbaceous/rich finish. Could be hard to drink more than one glass, though, as it is so rich. $19.95. 17Jan2002.

Dry River Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Shy aroma with nettles and herbs. Very tight at this age of its life. Ripe, rich finish, with classic gooseberry and apple characters emerging, then some stone fruit complexity. A sweet and ripe apple-like finish with lingering herbs and citrus. $22.50. Dry River Release Tasting. 16Sep2001

Esk Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2001 (Hawkes Bay). Zesty gooseberry and slightly nutty aromas. Fattish wine (from the oak, I guess) with plenty of melon and tropical fruit supported by strong, toasty, citrus and some pear (pineapple) drops and vibrant summer herbs. A long, herbaceous and slightly smoky (fumé) finish. Harvested from three different blocks to enhance the flavour profiles. Each block has been given a different fermentation yeast. 10% has been barrel fermented. 25July2001.

Giesen Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Smoky nuance in the aroma. Flavours of tobacco, apples and citrus. A little sweet. Easy drinking with soft acids. Very ripe. I couldn't detect too many gooseberries however I am told the flavours are like the fresh green gooseberries straight off an Invercargill bush! 6 Jul 2001
Another time from a bottle that had been open a couple of days. Gooseberry more obvious than when previously. tasted. A flinty, smoky nuance and perhaps a little sweat creeping in. Good acidity on finish perhaps a little drying. Strong smoky gooseberry lingers. Classic style. Tasted 11/8/2001

Hays Lake Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Apple at first on the nose. Then a full richness with peach, lime and a little toastiness. Some oak, perhaps. Wild yeast perhaps as well. An interesting wine with a full rich palate. But bracing acidity lingers in the mouth. $23. 5Dec2001.

Gibbston Valley Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Pale coloured, with shy aromas emitting citrus and stonefruits scents, the flavours are full of zingy dry acids, gooseberries and grass and hints of pungent apocrine. It's a long and flavoursome wine with a grassy, dry finish. NZ$23. 24Sep2001.
(This will be the last vintage of sauvignon blanc from this producer.)

Huia Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Pale coloured with a leesy, lemon zest bouquet. A wild ferment wine, it is citrus and grassy in the palate with a good intensity of flavour and a herbal lift on the full-bodied, slightly nutty and smoky finish. $21. 24Sep2001.

Isabel Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Lime and gooseberry aromas. Quite soft in the mouth with sweaty herbs, lemon oil, gooseberry, banana passionfruit, apple, sweet pea, citrus and a hint of tobacco on the hot fumé cut-grass finish. A very good sauvignon blanc with plenty of varietal flavour that waxes and wanes in layers. A very powerful wine with flavours that seem to linger forever in the mouth. May 2002.

Lawsons Dry Hills Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Amazingly pungent aromas leap out of the bottle even before the wine has been poured into the glass. Gooseberries, grass and a touch of apocrine. Classic Marlborough. Oily, soft round texture, well balanced acidity, sweet fruits emerging, hints of passionfruit and other tropical fruits. Long lingering qrassy flavours. Tasted 11/8/2001. To be released September 1.
Straw yellow. Smoky, grapefruit skin aromas. Herbs, grapefruit, lemon oil, cut grass, a little bit of oak, excellent length, lingers very well with a strong varietal character. This is really developing, reflective of a wine of its age - and it is in a screwcap. $19. 8Aug2002.
Today a more subdued nose but a super rich long and full finish. 5Sep2002.

Lincoln Winemakers Sauvignon Blanc 2000 Soft, oily texture, some stone fruit and a hint of gooseberry. Full flavoured with soft acids but a little sweetish for me with fruit heading to the fruit salad spectrum. Lingering finish. 2Aug2001

Lombardi Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Very pale in colour with an apple and herb bouquet. Lifted, limey, bubble-gum and angelica herb flavours. A full-bodied style with a pleasing texture,. A little smoky on the finish. A contrast to the Marlborough style. $19. 24Sep2001.

Montana Reserve Marlborough Vineyard Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2001 A lovely full-bodied sauvignon with grassy, herbaceous, capsicum and sweet lemon flavours at first combining well with the rich oily texture and the honeyed smoky finish. It's quite succulent in the palate with a ripe fruit sweetness, emerging gooseberry and then on the lingering smoky finish some intense passionfruit. A totally drinkable wine. NZ$20. 18.5/20 27Sep2001.

Mt Difficulty Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Leesy aromas with sweet pea flowers and tropical fruit. Fat and leesy in the palate too with stone and tropical fruits joining the yeasty flavours and only a faint hint of gooseberry emerging to influence the lingering finish. Quite a different style to what I am used to. 14% $20 10May2002

Mt Riley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2001 There is so much pineapple in this wine. Its so juicy with a warm yeasty backbone. I can just imagine how thirst quenching this wine would be on a hot summers day. Apple-like acidity lingers on finish with some grassy notes. Tasted over two days. The juicy pineapple was much more apparent the first day and now the grassy characters are emerging. Tasted 10/8 and 11/8/2001.

Mudhouse Sauvignon Blanc 2001 This is quite sweet and a little flabby. A simple quaffer, really. Drink up. This wine has had good reviews form other quarters - bottle variation, perhaps? $16.95 Tasted 5Sep2001.

Murdoch James Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Well-coloured sauvignon with a subtle apple aroma. Rich and toasty in palate with spritzy apple and honey complexities joining stone fruit flavours. There's a nice crispness with some pungency, a touch of spice and a herbaceous lifting the finish. It is a clean style with plenty of flavour. 14% alc. $21. 2Oct2001.

Nautilus Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Smells of citrus jubes. Sweetish tropical fruits with sugary lemon and apple, seems quite light in the palate. Gooseberry emerges on the finish with hints of grass and herbs. Plenty of acid which overpowers the fruit at this stage. $17.95 16.5/20 Tasted 5Sep2001.
A bouquet of apples and a touch of grass. Citrus dominant in the palate with dry acidity but good underlying flavour and power. There's a nice honey richness on the grassy finish that is long and lingering with hints of gooseberry and herbs. A very tight sauvignon blanc that I would expect to start opening up early in the new year. $21. 24Sep2001.

Palliser Estate Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Pale coloured with a lemon and herb bouquet. Grassy citrus with apples, herbs and a touch of sweet musk. Very ripe with some pungency emerging on the long finish. Very enjoyable. $21. 24Sep2001.
From a screwcap bottle - smells a little oily on the nose. Bright, limey, oily SB with a lovely softness then a fat full richness. $22. 5Dec2001.

Palliser Pencarrow Sauvignon Blanc 2001 This is another top notch effort from Martinborough's Palliser Estate for their 'second-label' wine. Classic sauvignon blanc wine with great pungency and zing and flavours showing juicy apples, herbs, gooseberry and apocrine. 28Aug2001

Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Subtle fume and grassy aromas. Ripe, grassy, gooseberry, passionfruit, melons, peaches.capsicum. Classic sauvignon, with a whiff of smoke, a touch of basil. All the flavours and more. Balanced to the hilt. Rich and powerful lingering finish. $17.95 19/20 Tasted 5Sep2001.
This wine is just delicious. Tonight it is full of melon, passionfruit, balance and finesse. One of the best ever made. A little spritz tickles the palate on the finish with a powdery (grainy) softness. "Unashamedly modelled on Wither Hills SB 2000". $18. 5Dec2001.

Selaks Premium Selection Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Plenty of tropical fruit with passionfruit and coconut, then gooseberry, grass and herbs. It's sweet, ripe, spritzy, fresh and zesty. Aug 2001
An overripe citrus character makes this wine different from the others tasted so far. Pretty ripe with a touch of sweetness; plus some apple and lime. Good finish. $14. 5Dec2001.

Seresin Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Pale coloured with a zingy lemon aromas. In the palate there's gooseberry, lemon and powerful herbs. Zest and flavoursome with hints of oak on the finish. 18Sep2001.

Soljans Lynham Vineyard Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Lime and tropical fruit with good underlying herbaceousness. Soft acidity with a hint of pineapple on the fleshy finish that has a citrus twist. 6Jul2002.

Spy Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2001 'Peasy aromas' in this sweet juicy sauvignon blanc. Quite lemony with fizzy sherbet characters. A light and really friendly style starting to show a little development. Hot, dry, zest finish with kiwifruit and passionfruit, then a pungency that emerges right at the very end. Good spice mouthful that awakens the mouth with a kapow!. 20Jul2002.

Te Mata Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc 2001 There's no mistaking this variety with its rich sauvignon blanc aromas and flavours. Lovely, mellow, toasty oak adds a full-bodied weighty complexity to the wine while a varietal herbaceous heads to 'sweet pea' filled out with the richness of stonefruit. This is a lovely rich sauvignon blanc with the typical long broad flavours of ripe fruit lingering for an age. A classy wine that has been fermented and aged in predominantly older oak barrels. 13.0% alcohol. ~NZ$25. 26Mar2002.

Te Mata Estate Castle Hill Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2001 This is an outstanding sauvignon blanc from Hawkes Bay and in a blind tasting which included sauvignon blanc from all over New Zealand, I voted this my favourite. Hawkes Bay sauvignon blancs are so under-rated but this wine is just example of why they should not be ignored. It is a classic New Zealand style with musk, gooseberry and herbs and plenty of flavour that lingers on the palate. NZ$18-22. 18.5/20. 16Sep2001.

Twin Islands Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Pale coloured. Softly pungent bouquet and flavours of gooseberries, grass and a touch of passionfruit on the slight sweetish finish. Perhaps not the acidity to carry the 4 grams of residual sugar. $16. 24Sep2001.

Vidal Estate Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Zingy sauvignon with an undercurrent of lime and a sprinkling of white pepper accompanying the herbaceous gooseberry flavours. Good palate weight with the richness of stone fruit while tropical fruits dance on the zingy green herb finish. After a couple of glasses, this wine seems really sweet, however and a little cloying on the finish. I really like Hawkes Bay sauvignon blanc and this an excellent example of the bright and zesty flavours of the Bay. Best accompaniment - freshly harvested Hawkes Bay asparagus. $15. Oct2001

Villa Maria Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Lovely wine with great flavour and intensity. Some gooseberry, passionfruit and a little sweetness on the long finish. Classic style of Marlborough sauvignon. Very good. 16Aug2001

Villa Maria Reserve Clifford Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Subtle and floral-like nose. Full and rich in the palate, almost overpowering in intensity. Seems a little developed, with passionfruit filling the mouth, then a very definite fresh pea flavour. Musk developing, then a honeyed complexity with a toastiness on the rich and very long finish. $26. 5Dec2001.

Villa Maria Reserve Wairau Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2001 A dry, citrus-dominant sauvignon blanc with racy lemon and limes, coriander and white peach. A seemingly delicate sauvignon blanc at first but it packs a punch with its bright fruit flavours and concentrated richness on the length. Herbs, citrus and a hint of gooseberry lingers with bready warmth and with the 14.0% alcohol a flush is soon seen on the face of the taster. After a while I also detect some nice pear flavour together with crushed coriander leaf on the very long aftertaste. $26. Oct 2001

Voss Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Ripe and fruit with lovely peach and gooseberry, apples, spice and herbs. A touch of pungency too. Very nice, full and flavoursome. Good palate weight with a touch of bubble gum. Melons emerge to linger on the finish with some herbs. $18. 18Sep2001.

Wairau River Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Sweetly juicy with gooseberry, herbs, zesty acidity and an apple character on the long and pungent finish. Good example. 16Aug2001
Very shy nose. Hints of peach blossom if anything. Apples at first in the mouth, then pears. Touch of sherbet friskiness. Then some herbaceous flavours start to emerge and a touch of passionfruit. Served too cold but as it starts to fill out the next wine comes along. $21. 22May2002.

West Brook Blue Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Ripe and rich savvy with lovely balance of flavours driven by stone fruit and a rich herbaceousness. This is very drinkable indeed. But perhaps only a one glass wine. $20. 5Dec2001.

Wither Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2001 Developing well in the bottle since last tasted on 16 Aug 2001. Apples and tropical fruit at first but with gooseberry emerging. Zesty spicy fruit. Perhaps lacks the pungency of last year's magnificent effort. 17Sep2001.
This wine has really filled out and settled down since first tasted in August. Ripe pineapple, tropical fruit, stonefruit, apples and grapefruit with a touch of white flower powderiness and an oiliness that makes the wine flow across the palate. Emerging ripe rich gooseberry and melon flavours linger with a bright herbaceousness. $20. 3Dec2001.
A bright refreshing Sauvignon Blanc with full-bodied herbaceousness and a good limey citrus oil backbone. Lingering flavours tending to almost tropical and a grainy almost chalky texture. Long fulfilling finish. $19.95. 16Jan2002.